Enantioselective Hydroaminations Catalyzed by Yttrium(III)-Bis(sulfoximine) Complexes

Area of Science:

• Organometallic Chemistry
• Catalysis
• Asymmetric Synthesis

Background:

• Intramolecular hydroamination is a key reaction for synthesizing nitrogen-containing heterocycles.
• Development of novel chiral catalysts is crucial for enantioselective transformations.
• Yttrium complexes offer unique Lewis acidity and coordination properties for catalytic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel bis(sulfoximine) yttrium complexes.
• To investigate their efficacy as catalysts for enantioselective intramolecular hydroamination.
• To elucidate the structural and electronic properties of these yttrium complexes.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of bis(sulfoximine) yttrium complexes.
• Characterization using multinuclear Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁵N, ⁸⁹Y).
• Stoichiometric analysis using Job's plot.
• Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations for structural and NMR shift elucidation.

Main Results:

• First successful preparation and characterization of bis(sulfoximine) yttrium complexes.
• Confirmation of complex stoichiometries through Job's plot analysis.
• Experimental and DFT-calculated ⁸⁹Y NMR chemical shifts and complex structures were obtained, providing insights into their electronic properties.

Conclusions:

• Bis(sulfoximine) yttrium complexes represent a new class of catalysts for enantioselective intramolecular hydroamination.
• Multinuclear NMR and DFT calculations provide a comprehensive understanding of these novel organometallic complexes.
• This work opens avenues for developing new yttrium-based catalysts for asymmetric synthesis.